seeing friends

We met up with some friends, Drew & Jordan, who are here from the States visiting. We met them a couple years ago. They are in town for a visit and we were so glad to see them! Joseph had his eyes on Baby Sayla...he loved giving her kisses. Sayla's big sister, Keadryn, stayed in the States. I wish I could have met her, she sounds like lots of fun!

this is a picture of Joseph kissing Baby Sayla:

After they left the mall we stayed a little while longer and listened to some Arabic Poetry. Joseph enjoyed clapping when they were still saying the poetry as well as once they were finished! haha!

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in the mail

Well, we got a letter in the mail from USCIS about our immigration approval. They had a couple questions about our home study that they needed answered before they could give their approval. Which means things are delayed a little longer...ugh!!! Thankfully our social worker got right on it and sent them the answers they needed, so the ball was rolling again the next day. Hopefully we'll get that immigration approval very soon.

We got some other things in the mail that were much more fun! My parents sent this really cute outfit for our little girl. I can't wait to put it on her! Don't worry, sweet girl....Mommy already loves you too!

They also sent these cute crocs that will match the outfit perfectly!! :)

Of course the soon-to-be-big-brother got a few things too!

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10 random pics

I know some of these may be repeats, but these are the 10 photos we decided to send to Ethiopia in our latest post placement report. Enjoy! 

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playing with balloons

We're just playing with balloons while we wait for the immigration approval. No new news for adoption #2 yet. 

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A year later

A year ago on Valentines Day we received Joseph's referral. This is one of the pictures we got. We fell in love with him from day one! 

A year later, this is what he looks like. We're more in love with him now than ever. God has definitely knitted our family together. He knew that Joseph would be such a great fit in our family. 

Since Joseph is almost 18 months old, he's a little more difficult to take pictures of. If we're not careful, his picture will come out like this one. Oops! 

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A soft, cute, black baby doll

The other day I was in a store looking at children's clothes (yes, I admit it...I was drawn to the little girls clothes) and I saw a cute soft baby doll, but it was white with blond hair. So, I started searching on the internet for another soft baby doll that is black. I had such a hard time finding what I was looking for. I did find a soft baby doll that was black, but it wasn't cute, not at all. :( 

I was so excited when I saw this doll at a shop that sells things from Africa!! It's so cute and very African, just like my baby girl will be! 

The doll is not only dressed in African clothing, but she is also carrying her own little baby on her back, just like they do in Ethiopia!! It's so precious! 

It reminded me of when we were in Ethiopia picking up Joseph and some shop keepers showed me how to carry my little boy like they do. :) 

Obviously he doesn't need to be carried any more. Though he still loves to be held, he also loves to walk and run. This picture was taken just a couple days ago.

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The Check is in the mail!

Things are happening even while we wait for that I171H to come in the mail. We sent a check to the adoption agency for more than we would spend on a car. But, we know that a baby girl is worth far more than a car to us! 

We won't have a better idea about a specific timeline until the I171H comes in. Ugh! This waiting is getting tough. We just really want our baby girl. We can't wait to hold her in our arms. 

In the mean time we are enjoying our baby boy. I do know that Jojo will love having a playmate! Sharing the attention, however, will be something for him to adjust to. Lately Joseph loves to sit on my lap to watch a movie, read his books, or play his new drum. I'm enjoying it as much as possible now. I know there will come a time when he won't be able to sit on my lap. 

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moving ahead and waiting again

It seems like we're always waiting on one more piece of paperwork. We were excited when our final child abuse checks came through last week. It seemed like it took forever. I think the delay had something to do with the holidays. So, now that the home study is complete we'll be waiting on the I171H, which is our Immigration approval. It comes from the Greece USCIS office because of where we're now living. Once we receive it we'll be waiting for our paperwork to be authenticated and then for our paperwork to be sent on to Ethiopia. 

I try to get paperwork accomplished, but it's difficult when this cute little boy is awake. He loves to sit on my lap when I'm working on the computer. Sometimes he watches his "movie" while I work. 

I couldn't help myself when I walked into a store the other day that was having a sale, I had to buy some little girl clothes. I just can't wait for our little girl to fill these clothes. I love it when little girls wear bloomers over their diapers, so I'm watching for these!  :)

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